# St Bernardus Abt 12 Review



## Beer Alchemist (Aug 17, 2011)

This beer is a classic, as close drinking a Westvleteren 12 that most will ever come to, but not quite as good as the deservingly hyped Westy 12. 

With a crisp pop the cork on the 750ml clears the bottle...aimed at the ceiling in hopes to bank a shot to hit my wife as is tradition since that day we got married and I attacked her with champagne corks from across the room. Pouring into the appropriate Watou goblet this is a deep mahogany brown with a half inch of mocha white head that neatly dissipates into a small island after a few minutes. On the nose is an immediate hit of cellar dust, dark sugars, alcohol, plums/raisins/figs a wonderful bouquete of dark fruits, and a slight twang leading me to expect some funk. Hitting the palette the character of the nose pushes through to include a distinct spicy clove note; however, after warming the twang dissipates as the alcohol presence heats up. This beer has a full body and its dark fruit and molasses sugar notes makes me think of a maduro going along nicely; however, I did not light up to see for sure. In the end this is a must drink beer for anyone who appreciates a Belgian.

To score I'm using the BJCP point system.

Aroma: 9/12 points lost for the cellar dust, just not my thing
Appearance: 2/3 points lost for the lack of head retention
Flavor: 18/20 alcohols a little too warm and the twang a little annoying
Mouthfeel: 5/5
Overall Impression: 9/10 world class brew 

Overall: 43/50


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## FRANK THE TANK (Jul 19, 2011)

I love Trappist and most Belgian beers that i have tried so far. Thought about picking this one up the last time I was at Total Wine, but I already had a lot of beer in the cart. I will definately be picking up a few bottles the next time I'm in Vegas.


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